Disability Free Life Expectancy: What is this telling us?

Supporting Information

The difference between the overall life expectancy and DFLE is the number of years a person of the specified age can expect to live with long-standing illness or disability. As such, it tells us the number of years the person is likely to need care or support because of their condition. The following table shows the number of years of a life that a person aged 65 can expect to have a long-standing illness or disability, for males and females.

Males aged 65 in Lewisham can expect a significantly shorter period of life with a disabling condition than the average for London. This appears to be principally a consequence of Lewisham’s shorter overall life expectancy. Females in Lewisham aged 65 can expect a period of life with a disabling condition very close to the average for London. The following table shows the number of years of a life that a person aged 16 can expect to have a long-standing illness or disability, for males and females.

Males aged 16 in Lewisham can expect a significantly shorter period of life with a disabling condition than the average for London and for England. Females in Lewisham can expect a shorter period of life with a disabling condition than the average for London and for England, but the difference is not statistically significant.